Two-surgeon technique using saline-linked electric cautery and ultrasonic surgical aspirator in living donor hepatectomy: its safety and efficacy

BACKGROUND

Saline-linked electric cautery (SLC) is introduced as an effective device to reduce blood loss in liver surgery. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a 2-surgeon technique using SLC and the Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA; Valleylab, Boulder, CO) in living donor hepatectomy.

METHODS

Forty-three living donor right hepatectomy cases were enrolled in this study. The first 28 cases underwent liver transection with CUSA alone (CUSA group), while additional SLC was applied in the current 15 cases (2-surgeon technique, TS group).

RESULTS

Blood loss was significantly reduced by the 2-surgeon technique (1,115.2 +/- 652.9 g in CUSA group vs 732.3 +/- 363.6 g in TS group, P < .05). In the TS group, there was no bile leakage from the cut surface. The early graft function and postoperative recipient survival were not significantly different between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

According to our single-center experience, blood loss and donor complications in living donor hepatectomies were significantly reduced using a 2-surgeon technique using CUSA and SLC, while maintaining the graft viability.

Significance of the serum level of soluble E-cadherin in patients with HCC

BACKGROUND/AIMS

E-cadherin (E-cad) is a type of adhesion molecule, and recent studies have demonstrated a correlation between its expression in tumor lesions and the recurrence of HCC. Serum levels of soluble E-cad are significantly elevated in patients with several types of cancer. The authors evaluated the significance of the serum level of soluble E-cad as a predictor of early recurrences (intrahepatic or extrahepatic metastasis) of HCC after a curative resection.

METHODOLOGY

The concentrations of soluble E-cad in the serum of 25 HCC patients before surgery and 12 healthy subjects were measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The hepatic expression of E-cad was examined by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

The median serum soluble E-cad levels were significantly elevated in HCC patients before surgery in comparison to those in healthy subjects (10,759 ng/mL vs. 5,798 ng/mL, p < 0.05). The patients in the high serum soluble E-cad group experienced a higher incidence of early recurrence (p < 0.05). The levels of expression of E-cad in HCC lesions were not related to the serum levels of soluble E-cadherin.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated that serum soluble E-cad levels were elevated in patients with HCC, and high serum soluble E-cadherin (> or = 8,000 ng/ml) was associated with early recurrence or extrahepatic metastasis. Serum soluble E-cad may therefore be a potential prognostic marker for HCC.

De novo autoimmune hepatitis after living donor liver transplantation is unlikely to be related to immunoglobulin subtype 4-related immune disease

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Recently, we reported that immunoglobulin subtype 4 (IgG4) is involved in autoimmune hepatobiliary diseases, such as autoimmune hepatitis, sclerosing cholangitis, and pancreatitis. However, the association of IgG4 with autoimmune hepatic disease after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has not been investigated.

METHODS

Of the 72 LDLT recipients, four patients (5.6%) were suspected of having autoimmune-related hepatic disease after LDLT. The diagnosis was made based on a histological diagnosis following an examination of a biopsy liver specimen in three cases, while in one case a pemphigoid appeared in the flank with liver fibrosis of unknown cause. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatches were 3, 2, 2, and 2, respectively. The serum level of IgG4 in the patients was measured, and IgG4 immunohistochemical staining in the liver biopsy specimens was also performed.

RESULTS

In all cases, steroid pulse therapy or recycle treatment and subsequent increased steroid dose as well as additional azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil were effective. While a few positive-stained cells for IgG4 were observed in the liver of one case, negative staining for IgG4 was observed in the other cases. All serum subclasses of IgG4 were within normal limits.

CONCLUSION

In our series of LDLT, IgG4-related immune disorder is unlikely to be involved in post-transplant, autoimmune-related liver disease.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I-associated myelopathy following living-donor liver transplantation

This report describes a patient who developed human T-cell leukemia virus type I-associated myelopathy (HAM) following a living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Both the recipient and the living donor (his sister) were human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) carriers. Since the LDLT, he had been treated with immunosuppressive drugs such as tacrolimus and steroids as well as interferon-alpha to prevent rejection and a recurrence of the HCV infection, respectively. Even though the HTLV-I proviral load had decreased upon interferon treatment, he developed a slowly progressive gait disturbance with urinary disturbance 2 years after the LDLT and was diagnosed with HAM. This appears to be the first report of HAM development in an HLTV-I-infected LDLT recipient.

Differential effects of calcineurin inhibitors, tacrolimus and cyclosporin a, on interferon-induced antiviral protein in human hepatocyte cells

The premise of our study is that selective inhibition of interferon (IFN) by calcineurin inhibitors contribute to the increased severity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) posttransplantation. Therefore, we examined the influence of calcineurin inhibitors in the human hepatocyte cell line on IFN-alpha-induced phosphorylation of Janus kinase (Jak) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT), nuclear translocation of IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF-3), IFN-stimulated regulatory element (ISRE)-contained promoter activity, and the expressions of antiviral proteins. Tacrolimus (Tac), but not cyclosporin A (CyA), had an inhibitory effect on IFN-alpha-induced double-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA)-dependent protein kinase (PKR) in a dose-dependent manner. STAT-1 also acted in a similar fashion to PKR. IFN-alpha combined with Tac attenuated the ISRE-containing promoter gene activity as compared with IFN-alpha alone. In contrast, its expression in pretreated CyA was slightly attenuated. In pretreated Tac, but not CyA, the levels of IFN-alpha-induced tyrosine phosphorylated STAT-1 and -2 were clearly lower than those induced by IFN-alpha alone. Tac and CyA did not decrease the IFN-alpha-induced JAK-1 phosphorylation. The nuclear translocation rate of tyrosine phosphorylated STAT-1 was inhibited by pretreatment of both Tac and CyA by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. In an HCV replicon system, pretreated Tac diminished the replication inhibitory effect of IFN-alpha. In this study, we show that calcineurin inhibitors, especially Tac, are the negative regulators of IFN signaling in the hepatocyte; the greatest cause of such inhibition is the phosphorylation disturbance of STAT-1, next to inhibition of the nuclear translocation of STAT-1. In conclusion, disturbance of tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT-1 resulted in diminished ISRE-containing promoter activity and a decline in antiviral protein expression. Moreover, the replication of HCV was activated. This phenomenon is detrimental to IFN therapy after liver transplantation, and the selection of calcineurin inhibitors may warrant further discussion depending on the transplant situation.

Experience of gastric cancer in a patient who had received a living-donor liver transplantation

A 57-year-old woman had previously undergone a living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for end-stage liver disease related to hepatitis B virus. The liver graft had been donated by her husband. Her postoperative course had been uneventful. In the course of postoperative surveillance, she was incidentally found to have gastric cancer by an endoscopic examination 2 years after the liver transplantation. A gastric resection was the treatment choice, and the results were successful. The tumor, which was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, was limited to the mucosal layer, with no metastasis. In addition, a Helicobacter pylori infection was observed. This is the first reported case of a gastric cancer after LDLT. We report this case because of its importance regarding the need to carry out close surveillance in transplant recipients who are treated with immunosuppressive drugs, in order to make a timely identification of the occurrence of common malignancies.

Cerebellar ataxia in a patient receiving calcineurin inhibitors after living donor liver transplantation: a case report

Neurological complications of calcineurin inhibitors are frequent problems after transplantation. Cerebellar ataxia with other neurological findings and an abnormal density area in the subcortical white matter are found by MRI in the brains of most patients with central nervous system complications caused by calcineurin inhibitors. Such neurological complications are not life-threatening, but have a negative impact on the quality of life. We describe a 58-year-old woman who developed cerebellar ataxia at 4 days after living donor liver transplantation. She walked with a swaying gait, and after walking for 5 minutes she was unable to stand. Her symptoms persisted after a change from tacrolimus to cyclosporine, but dose reduction of cyclosporine and addition of mycophenolate mofetil cured the ataxia. We diagnosed a case of cerebellar ataxia without leukoencephalopathy or other neurological symptoms, as a new complication of calcineurin inhibitor treatment. We concluded that careful attention should be paid to neurological complications of calcineurin inhibitors.

Clearance of hepatitis C virus after living-donor liver transplantation in spite of residual viremia on end date of interferon therapy before transplantation

Interferon (IFN) therapy is the only treatment strategy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after liver transplantation (LT), but prophylactic and treatable IFN therapy after LT has been shown to be insufficient due to the adverse effects of IFN and rivabirin. In this paper, we describe the disappearance of HCV after LT without IFN therapy in the presence of residual viremia on the day of LT. We herein report our findings since this is considered an important case for the anti-HCV strategy of post LT. A 60-year old woman with LC and HCC was referred to Nagasaki University Hospital in August 2004. After she underwent LT on February 18, 2005, we injected peg-IFN-α-2a the 11th time at 18 wk and HCV-RNA was still positive in the serum at LT. The serum HCV-RNA was negative one month after operation and subsequently dissolved 15 mo after operation without IFN therapy. As a result, we speculate that if HCV-RNA is positive while HCV core antigen is negative before LT, then it may lead to clearance of HCV after LT. Therefore long acting peg-IFN-α-2a is thus considered a potentially effective agent for the treatment of HCV-related cirrhosis before LT.

Tape-guided living donor left hepatectomy

A procedure of tape-guided living donor left hepatectomy is described. A tape was placed along the anterior wall of the inferior vena cava for left liver with caudate lobe, and along Arantius' ligament for left liver without caudate lobe. The final step of liver transection was applied by dividing the liver parenchyma under tape guidance. This procedure contributed to safe and accurate anatomic procurement of left liver grafts in living donor hepatectomy.

Application of endovascular stapler in living-donor liver transplantation

We used an endovascular stapler in recipients of living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Hepatic veins were transected in 10 recent LDLTs (6 right-lobe and 4 left-lobe grafts), and the portocaval shunt was transected in 5 of these 10 LDLTs. Median operative time with the vascular stapler was 861 minutes (range 675 to 932), whereas the median time to liver explantation was 292 minutes (range 200 to 461) (both with P < or = .05 vs vascular stapler use). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of an endovascular stapler device in LDLT.

Intentional conversion from tacrolimus to cyclosporine for HCV-positive patients on preemptive interferon therapy after living donor liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

Recently we reported that signal transmission of interferon is more suppressed by tacrolimus (Tac) than cycrosporine (CyA). Therefore, although CyA might be beneficial immunosuppressive drug after liver transplantation (LT) on interferon therapy against hepatitis C virus, it is hesitated because of the risk for provocation of rejection. Herein initial outcome of our strategy, i.e. intentional conversion from Tac to CyA during preemptive interferon therapy after living donor LT (LDLT) was reported.

MATERIAL/METHODS

Of 62 patients who had undergone LDLT in Nagasaki University Hospital between 1997 and November 2006, 16 patients showed indications for hepatitis C-related liver cirrhosis. The median follow-up period was 15 months. Tac was used for all patients as induction therapy combined with steroids tapering.

RESULTS

In 11 out of 16 cases (68.8%), preemptive Pegylated (Peg)-IFN-alpha 2b+Ribavirin therapy was initiated. When Peg-IFN-alpha 2b+Ribavirin therapy was commenced, Tac-to- CyA conversion was done. The median period of conversion from Tac to CyA was 1.5 month after LDLT. After the conversion, ACR occurred in one case. Out of 11 patients, 3 patients (21.4%) showed early viral response (VR) at 3 months, 2 showed end-treatment response at 48 weeks (14.3%) and 3 showed sustained VR (21.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

Intentional conversion from Tac to CyA can be safely performed without increasing the risk of ACR.

Anatomical and technical aspects of hepatic artery reconstruction in living donor liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

We describe our experience with arterial reconstruction in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) focusing on anatomic and technical aspects.

METHODS

From June 1994 to February 2003, 132 grafts were implanted in 130 LDLT recipients including 1 re-transplant and 1 dual graft transplantation. Donor and recipient records were retrospectively reviewed. Anatomical variations in graft arteries were classified as: Type I, single pedicle with (Ia) or without (Ib) aberrant artery (left hepatic artery (HA) from left gastric artery or right HA from superior mesenteric artery); Type II, double pedicles with (IIa) or without (IIb) aberrant artery; Type III, equal to or greater than 3 pedicles. Statistical analyses were carried out using Mann-Whitney U-test.

RESULTS

There were 72 male and 58 female recipients. The median age at transplantation was 3 years (range, 0.5 to 61). In left grafts, there were 34 Type Ia, 6 Type Ib, 33 Type IIa, 13 Type IIb, and 3 Type III; whereas in right grafts, there were 35 Type Ia, 6 Type Ib, 1 Type IIa, and 1 Type IIb. Two-in-one (2-in-1) segmental resection technique in graft HA harvest was carried out whenever there were tiny arteries supplying the donor graft. All HA reconstructions were done under microvascular techniques. There was no donor mortality and 1 recipient in-hospital mortality. There was no graft or patient loss due to HA occlusion. Donor complications included 3 biloma, 1 bile leak, 1 biliary stricture, and 1 late intestinal obstruction secondary to postoperative adhesions that were all successfully managed by non-operative interventions, except the biliary stricture that needed a revision to Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejunostomy. The 1-year and 5-year recipient survivals were 98% and 94%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Successful HA reconstruction can be safely carried out in LDLT recipients and live donors with multiple graft arteries using the 2-in-1 segmental resection of donor HA under microvascular techniques.

Biliary complications in recipients of living-donor liver transplantation

The key points of the management of biliary complications in recipients of living-donor liver transplantation are described. The characteristics of these complications are somewhat different from those in deceased-donor liver transplantation, mainly due to the technical difficulties. Appropriate prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are essential for successful transplants, to avoid the development of secondary biliary cirrhosis when complication occurs.

Simplified technique for middle hepatic vein tributary reconstruction of a right hepatic graft in adult living donor liver transplantation

A simple procedure of direct end-to-end anastomosis between the middle hepatic vein tributary of the right hepatic graft and the preserved recipient middle hepatic vein is described. During the final step of total hepatectomy in the recipient, the middle hepatic vein was preserved, while crushing the liver tissue for a sufficient length of middle hepatic vein to perform tension-free anastomosis with the middle hepatic vein tributary of the graft. This procedure enabled us to avoid using an interposition graft.

A case of mucin producing liver metastases with intrabiliary extension

A 75-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of liver metastases from colon cancer. He underwent right hemicolectomy for cecal cancer eight years ago, and had a metastatic liver tumor in segment 8 (S8), which was surgically resected about 4 years after the initial operation. Histopathological examination of the resected specimens from both operations revealed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma with mucinous carcinoma. Four months after the second operation, computed tomography demonstrated a low-density lesion at the cut surface of the remnant liver. Although it was considered to be a postoperative collection of inflammatory fluid, it formed a cystic configuration and increased in size to approximately 5 cm in diameter. With a tentative diagnosis of a recurrence of metastatic cancer, partial hepatectomy of S8 was performed. Histological examination of the resected specimens also revealed mucinous adenocarcinoma, which had invaded into the biliary ducts, replacing and extending along its epithelium. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin (CK) 20, but negative for CK7. Therefore, the tumor was diagnosed as a metastatic adenocarcinoma from colonic cancer. Liver metastases of colorectal adenocarcinoma sometimes invade the Glisson’s triad and grow along the biliary ducts.

Destructive granuloma derived from a liver cyst: A case report

We herein report the case of an idiopathic liver cystic mass which aggressively infiltrated the thoraco-abdominal wall. A 74-year-old woman who had a huge cystic lesion in her right hepatic lobe was transferred to our hospital for further examinations. Imaging studies revealed a simple liver cyst, and the cytological findings of intracystic fluid were negative. She was followed up periodically by computed tomography (CT) scans. Seven years later, she complained of a prominence and dull pain in her right thoraco-abdominal region. CT revealed an enlargement of the cystic lesion and infiltration into the intercostal subcutaneous tissue. We suspected the development of a malignancy inside the liver cyst such as cystadenocarcinoma, and she therefore underwent surgery. A tumor extirpation was performed, including the chest wall, from the 7th to the 10th rib, as well as a right hepatic lobectomy. Pathologically, the lesion consisted of severe inflammatory change with epithelioid cell granuloma and bone destruction without any malignant neoplasm. No specific pathogens were evident based on further histological and molecular examinations. Therefore the lesion was diagnosed to be a destructive granuloma associated with a long-standing hepatic cyst. Since undergoing surgery, the patient has been doing well without any signs of recurrence.

Two-step models to predict binding affinity of chemicals to the human estrogen receptor alpha by three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships (3D-QSARs) using receptor-ligand docking simulation

Binding of chemicals to the estrogen receptor (ER) is known to be a key mode of action of endocrine disruption effects. In this study, combined quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models from discriminant and multilinear regression (MLR) analyses, termed a two-step model, were developed. These were used to predict the binding potency to human ERalpha of four chemical groups, namely alkylphenols, phthalates, diphenylethanes and benzophenones. These groups are considered to be important chemical classes of ER-binders. The descriptors investigated were calculated following the simulation of docking between the receptor and ligand. Discriminant analysis in the first step of a two-step model was applied to distinguish binders from non-binders. It had a concordance, following leave-one-out (LOO), of greater than 87% for all chemical classes. Binders were defined as chemicals whose IC50 was reliably measured in a competitive binding assay. The MLR analysis in the second step was performed for the quantitative prediction of the binding affinity of chemicals that were previously discriminated as binders. The q2 values for alkylphenols and diphenylethanes were 0.75 and 0.74, respectively. However good MLR relationships were not obtained for phthalates and benzophenones as the observed binding affinities of chemicals in these categories were weak and in a too narrow range.

Impact of late conversion from C0 to C2 monitoring of microemulsified cyclosporine in pediatric living donor liver transplant recipients

The efficacy and feasibility of 2-h post-dose level (C2) monitoring of cyclosporine in long-term living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of late conversion from conventional trough-level (C0) monitoring to C2 monitoring of a microemulsion form of cyclosporine (Neoral) in pediatric LDLT recipients. From June 1994 to August 2002, we performed 116 LDLTs in 115 patients. Initially, we adapted conventional C0 monitoring of Neoral, which was converted to C2 monitoring starting in January 2002. The 60 patients who were enrolled in the study had the following characteristics: they were younger than or equal to 15 yr at transplantation, and they had survived LDLT, and they had received a Neoral-based immunosuppression regimen, and they underwent conversion to C2 more than 1 month after transplantation. We evaluated the impact of conversion on doses, blood levels, rejection, adverse effects, and patient/graft outcome. In the long-term patients, the mean C2 levels immediately after conversion were higher than the target levels at any time point selected after transplantation; thus, 34 patients (57%) finally required a dose reduction of Neoral. The current mean C2 level was significantly lower than that observed immediately after conversion (584.6 +/- 262.8 ng/ml vs. 893.1 +/- 260.2 ng/ml, mean +/- SD, p < 0.0001) with a mean follow-up period of 7.4 +/- 0.6 months (range: 5-8 months) after conversion. Only one patient encountered rejection after conversion (1.7%), and no de novo infection or adverse effects were observed. Traditional C0 monitoring of Neoral was safely replaced by C2 monitoring without an increase in the rejection rate or any adverse effects in pediatric LDLT patients. C2 monitoring contributed to the dose reduction of Neoral, which may lead to the avoidance of long-term complications due to immunosuppression.